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OSHA targets shooting range
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a citation, along with a proposed fine of $111,000 fine (OSHA press release here), againstIllinois Gun Works–a gun store and gunsmith business which has a shooting range and teaches safety classes. HT Instapundit and David Codrea. In a November 2009 article for the NRA magazine America’s 1st Freedom, I warned about the dangers of President Obama’s nomination of David Michaels as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (head of OSHA), based on Michaels’ well-established record as an anti-gun advocate.
Many of alleged OSHA violations at the safety training range involved noise exposure for the instructors. Among OSHA’s suggestions were to eliminate training in “larger caliber” handguns such as “9 mm Luger and/or .45 Colt” and substitute “handguns of smaller caliber,” such as .22LR. And “Prohibition of any shotguns and/or rifles firing in the firing range.” (p. 6). In other words, eliminate training for all firearms except those which are least likely to have the stopping power to be effective for self-defense. And ensure that the range can never provide students with personal instruction in the use of the firearms which constitute the vast majority of firearms which people actually own.
Among the “violations” noted in the citation: An instructor on the range wore Howard Leight Impact Sport Electronic Earmuffs, which allegedly provided insufficient noise protection. (p. 11). I’ve never used the Howard Leight brand, but I have used electronic muffs from Peltor and from Dillon. Electronic muffs are the perfect choice for hearing protection and range safety, especially for an instructor. When the muffs detect a sound spike, they instantly shut down, reducing the noise to a comfortable level. Unlike passive muffs, electronic muffs do not block sound at other times, so it is much easier for the instructor to communicate with students, and to hear everything going on in the area. Indeed, normal sounds (but not gunshots) can be amplified by the muff’s electronics, if the user so chooses.
My Peltor muffs have a Noise Reduction Rating of 19 decibels, while the Howard Leight muffs used by the Illinois Gun Works instructor had a NRR of 22db. I have previously used passive muffs (consisting of foam padding around the ears, with no electronics); passive muffs with a NRR in the low 20s allow more sound than I want, and I find that for passive muffs, a NRR of 29 or higher is much better. However, whatever the rated NRR of the electronic muffs, I can tell you that electronic muffs are far superior at sound reduction compared to passive muffs with much higher ratings. My Peltors with a NRR of 19db make gunshots much quieter than do my passive muffs with a NRR of 30db. Yet Illinois Gun Works is being fined because an instructor used superior hearing protection.
Here’s another violation: “A gun range instructor conducting shooter instruction was observed reaching down on the range floor to collect a loaded handgun cartridge. The employee was not wearing any hand protection such as gloves. The gun range floor was contaminated with lead. The gun had misfired and it required manual cycling of the barrel slide to remove the defective round which then fell on the gun range floor.” (p. 22). This is absurd. Range floors are necessarily going to have lead dust on them. In the course of live fire instruction, there are inevitably going to be some misfeeds, which result in a round falling to the floor. You don’t leave live ammunition lying on the floor. And if you’re going to be helping students clear misfeeds (step 1: press the small button which releases the magazine so that it drops out of the gun), you can often do so better with bare hands with gloves. After any time on the shooting range, it is essential to wash hands thoroughly with cold water. The notion that picking up a round from the floor is some kind of special danger is ridiculous.
h/t Leonard
squatch
June 24th, 2012
The shooting range in Mexico opened by Eric Holder is in complete compliance, though.
Must watch Bill Whittle :
Anonymous
June 24th, 2012
is this the same gun store/range that jesse targeted with his unattended protest? hmmmmm, collusion?
squatch
June 24th, 2012
I apologize if I screwed the page up, Cardigan.
Twellsy
June 24th, 2012
Nudge. Nudge. Dribble. Dribble. A little at a time.
Rightwingfeather
June 24th, 2012
What bullshit. I dont even know where to begin!
Nutjob
June 24th, 2012
BO gets re-elected you won’t have to worry about guns.
Just another liberal commie progressive nudge towards complete dictatorship.
Surprised OSHA didn’t tell them the only acceptable bullets allowed will be nerf or suction cup arrows. I’m also surprised OSHA hasn’t completely outlawed work because of the dangers, we should all just show up, do what we want and get paid.
The movie Idiocracy is becoming more and more apparent everyday with this rodeo clown disfunctional admin.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
June 24th, 2012
What are the chances of stalling off enforcement until January 21?
Government Run Amuck: OSHA Targets Shooting Range | therightplanet.com
June 24th, 2012
[...] iOTW Share [...]
FreeMan - Save Me Sarah
June 24th, 2012
OT – Anyone seen Matt Drudge? His page has not changed for over 2 days.
fubar
June 24th, 2012
so…. Utah Governor blames people shooting guns and igniting tinder cause wildfires and you can’t shoot on target ranges, so the only thing left to do is confiscate guns. gotcha.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0623/Too-many-wildfires-caused-by-gun-owners-says-Utah-governor-video
Czar of Defenestration
June 24th, 2012
@fubar
No idea; try BADBLUE instead.
Czar of Defenestration
June 24th, 2012
umm…@Freeman (sheesh)
Pickled LIver
June 24th, 2012
Well they can always complain to ?????? No wait? All the appointments in this administration are anti-gun supporters ….. so I guess we’re screwed!
No Bama 2012 ….. Please!
Ty Coon
June 24th, 2012
I laugh every time I read about this fear of lead. Gloves to pick up a cartridge? I’ve eaten I don’t know how much lead over the years from pheasants,quail,and rabbits. Not to mention all the split-shot sinkers I’ve clamped to my fishing line as a kid.
MADJACK
June 24th, 2012
Unadulterated BULLSHIT!
I have handled thousands and thousands of rounds of ammunition and I am still alive and in my mid 60s. I shoot every weekend and always pick up every empty case I can get my hands on. I reload. Just another bogus push by the Oblowme regime against the 2nd Amendment and private gun ownership of law abiding American citizens.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! 
Keyser Söze
June 24th, 2012
The real solution to this problem would be, for the gun range to abolish the training program, laying off the instructors, which will remove them from the employment role. Without employees, the issue of exposure goes away. These instructors will then be eligible for unemployment, adding to the already high national unemployment rate. The next step would be for the instructors to volunteer their time, to teach individuals in the proper and safe use of a firearm. If the trainee just happens to be so overwhelmed and appreciative of the instructors tutelage, the trainee can then slip the instructor a generous cash gratuity, perhaps strangely enough equivalent to what the now abolished and defunct fee used to be.
Because this particular gun range is a mere 387 feet west of the Chicago city limit border, the unspoken “wink wink” will be a language all participants will understand. After all, the Democrat bastion of Chicago, is the “wink wink” capital of America and the place where Obama studied so feverishly in the art of “wink wink”.
cfm990
June 24th, 2012
So when are they going after fishermen. Split shot, lead head jigs, sinkers etc.
cfm990
June 24th, 2012
?
bitterclinger
June 24th, 2012
Czar of D — Thanks for the suggestion. I found this over there and it’s worth an iOTW post!
http://bit.ly/OayT0J
Piker
June 24th, 2012
ok… so in the interest of protecting people’s hearing, de-regulate and make silencers and supressors legal for the general population.
Weldor
June 24th, 2012
My range is in my back yard.
Presidente Zero and his cohorts can suck it.
Hubcap
June 24th, 2012
Deport those illegals. Don’t give them anything for breaking our laws. Its apparent they have no respect for America. They are 30 year old and younger Muslims who have been hiding in sleeper cells. Also, Muslims who came over as students and used our community services and stayed. This is not just about Mexicans. It is not about just jobs or votes. Its about the trap that is about to be sprung on we the people by those cults who believe their cult book and their cult Sharia laws.
PATH
June 24th, 2012
Squatch – you are on a roll this morning.
Smaj
June 24th, 2012
More “under the radar” gun control.
Sarthurk
June 24th, 2012
In Oregon, OSHA is a partially self funded agency. Therefore they will try to find even the tiniest infraction of any kind of work safety violation and stick it to you with a big a fine as possible. Where I work, we are not allowed to use any chemicals that require the use of a respirator, as the regulations are so strict that one minor infraction could result in fines that would bankrupt us. The fact that David Micheals was nominated by the dirtbag in chief is a great concern as well. Not surprized that anyone Obummer nominates isn’t an anti gun moron.
scr_north
June 24th, 2012
When the libs from OSHA go fishing the audience they are trying to convince is the general public, not anyone familiar with the operations of a facility such as this. In this case the key points of information they would want the public to remember are lead poisoning and hearing loss from the gunfire. The public would remember all the horror stories about lead paint damaging babies and all the hearing loss suffered by loud music. They would then be guided along to wondering why the “gun nuts” are upset when the government is merely trying to protect them.
Bob M.
June 24th, 2012
Well, if you can’t get guns banned, by killing American police officers with straw purchases of federal gummint weaponry for Mexican drug cartels, then try – try again!
Geez, that’s unwieldy – how did it EVER catch on as a jingle?
Unneutral
June 24th, 2012
OSHA?
Obama Supporting Hater of America?
grayjohn
June 24th, 2012
Dear OSHA. I fucking dare you to walk into a shooting range and try to enforce your treasonous shit. I fucking dare you.
Genl Ripper
June 24th, 2012
Hell, based on OSHA’s opinion, every time I go fishin’ and use a lead sinker, I’m in violation of OSHA regs. “(Gasp!) He touched that lead sinker! VIOLATOR!”
There are several Federal Gummint agencies in desperate need of abolishment that quickly come to mind:
-OSHA
-NMFS Natl Marine Fisheries Service
-EPA
-TSA
All of these agencies’ roles could be far better served and more efficiently, professionally and ethically run on a local level by state governments.
Munro's Safety Apparel
June 27th, 2012
OSHA regulations are in the best interest of the workers. Workers should feel safe in their environment. In many fields, that requires them to wear safety apparel as well as be properly trained.